Game Warden Cadets Finish 6-Month Academy

AUSTIN, Texas — The 51st Game Warden Class graduated Friday and all 35 reported to their new posts across the state. This is Texas Parks and Wildlife's most diverse game warden class ever.

Today's game wardens have broad roles, enforcing not only traditional hunting and fishing laws, but also have a wide range of other duties from working environmental crimes and performing flood rescues to making numerous public outreach and educational contacts.

"We are pleased and proud to present a class that as best as possible, reflects the face of Texas," said Col. Pete Flores, director of law enforcement at TPWD.

The 51st Game Warden graduating class consists of one Hispanic female, nine white Females, one male Asian, three male African Americans, eight male Hispanics, and 13 white males. The educational background consists of 10 degrees in Conservation, 13 degrees in Criminal Justice or related field and four degrees in Conservation Science, to name some of their fields of study.

The six-month training brought the group from throughout the state to Austin where they lived and trained until graduation. Their training included 1,120 hours of instruction — including the 618-hour basic peace officer course. Also in the peace officer training was 16 hours of Spanish as required by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education, which is the licensing agency for peace officers in the state.

Flores, who is bilingual, says, "The ability to speak a second language is a great tool in a profession that requires the warden to communicate with people of different cultures as they hunt and fish in our state. Spanish is our predominant second language in Texas and an officer who understands the language and the culture is more effective and safe due to the increased ability to communicate. The knowledge of the culture allows the warden to avoid confrontation by recognizing cultural issues that, left ignored, might lead to a potential misunderstanding," he said.

For more information, about becoming a cadet, visit the Web at (http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/involved/jobvac/gwcadet/).